Leaders of Tomorrow Charter Public School
Founders and Proposed Board of Trustees
This is prepared by the founding group of the proposed Leaders of Tomorrow Charter Public
School.
Jason DeFalco is the Director of the founding board. He completed his B.S. in Sociology and
Elementary Education at Suffolk University, Boston, MA and his M.Ed. in School Leadership
and Administration at Worcester State College, Worcester, MA. Jason has been in the field of
education for nearly ten years as a teacher, coach, trainer, curriculum coordinator, and principal.
Joany Santa received her B.A. in Communication and Management from Rhode Island College
and her M.Ed. in General Education from Cambridge College, Boston, MA. Joany has been in
the field of education for nineteen years. Her experience in the education ranges from classroom
teacher, central office employee, to building principal.
David Rosario: Mr. Rosario, who is employed as an IT User Support in Worcester and is a parent
of a charter school alum sees the direct need to create a school where 21st century skills and
technology were embedded through-out the curriculum in order to prepare youth for the
technological world, not yet invented. His role on the board provides the school with a strong
base of knowledge on how to maximize learning and instruction through technology based on his
ten years of experience integrating technology into academic environments.
Krista Winter: Mrs. Winter has experienced significant problems with finding appropriate
educational opportunities for her sons in the Worcester District Schools. The District Schools
were not supplying the rigor or the structure to help them excel. As a person who is committed to
improving education she joined the Board to create a school that would nurture as well as supply
the youth of Worcester with rigorous academic programming, develop their leadership skills, and
providing a diverse experience with other cultures. Krista Winter has the role of secretary of the
board and a strong parent voice. Krista’s background in Medical Record Analysis is an asset in
our work as she is able to track and analyze data that is vital to our understanding of how LofT
will benefit the Worcester community. She is integral to our community outreach efforts.
Ellen Lincourt: Ms. Lincourt has a museum educator and not-for-profit management and nontraditional educational theory background. Ms. Lincourt felt an immediate attachment to the idea
of a school that would inculcate leadership skills. Ms. Lincourt has had responsibility for
managing budgets and personnel and grant writing. Most recently, as the Administrative Assistant
in the Academic Technology Center, she has assisted in the management of a departmental
budget with operational costs in excess of 300,000 dollars a year and the purchasing of equipment
of over a million dollars annually. As the Manager of Visitor Services at the EcoTarium she had
complete responsibility for a departmental budget of over 250,000 dollars. She has also assisted
with grant writing and administration in many of her positions.
Linda Lamica: Mrs. Lamica served as the Expanded Learning Time Coordinator for Southbridge
Public Schools at West Street School and joined the Board in September. She has an extensive
background in the insurance and office management field. The networking and organizational
skills she brings to the Board are exceptional. Her background from the Mass2020 training she
received as the ELT Coordinator has served LofT well in developing community partnerships,
draft memorandum of agreements, training for the volunteers and other community partners.
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James Donahue: Jim Donahue is highly regarded in the non-profit sector as a collaborative
visionary. He is recognized as one of the top non-profit executives in New England with an
impressive background in leadership, education, and fundraising. Prior to taking the position as
President and CEO for Old Sturbridge Village in 2007, Mr. Donahue was the CEO of the
Bradford Dunn Institute for Learning Differences in Providence, RI. The Institute operates a
network of high-quality programs that include The Hasbro Center for Teaching Excellence, the
RI Tutorial and Educational Services, and the CVS Highlander Charter School, which Mr.
Donahue founded in 2000. Mr. Donahue negotiated the merger between the Bradford Dunn
Institute and CVS Highlander Charter School in 2004. During his seven year tenure as the
director of the charter school, he led the renovation of two campuses for the school and the
establishment of several key capacity-building partnerships.
Sean Parker: Mr. Parker was a wide range of experience as a museum professional (twenty-one
years), including fourteen years in management, expertise in managing projects and educational
programs. His demonstrated ability in project management, personnel management, program
planning and development, and training is a true asset. Mr. Parker has extensive experience in
staff training and management, theory and history of education, multicultural history and
diversity. Mr. Parker developed community-based exhibits, programs and educational initiatives,
where he incorporating educational best practices. He participated in the Social Studies
frameworks development project for the RI Dept. of Ed; provided guidance and materials for
standards development and content sessions for teacher training institutes addressing the new
standards. He is a highly driven individual with secured leadership skills.
Dr. Mustapha Fofana: As an associate professor at the Worcester Polytechnic Institute Dr. Fofana
heads the Mechanical Engineering department. He has a PhD from the University of Waterloo, in
Theoretical and Applied Mechanics (1993). He has been published in engineering journals among
them; Wear Journal, International Journal of Non-Linear Mechanics, Probabilistic Engineering
Mechanics, Mathematical and Computer Modeling. Professor Fofana is also an accomplished
speaker and lecturer for organizations such as ASME International Mechanical Engineering
Congress and Exposition Symposium on Nonlinear Dynamics and Stochastic Mechanics.
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